New technology provides instant feedback for Ball State nursing students

As nursing students interact with lifelike, high-fidelity patient simulators, the treatment scenario is recorded through portable Mediasite equipment so professors can show students how their actions affect patients.

Ball State is using innovative presentation recording technology to give its nursing students instant feedback during lifelike patient simulations.

Called Mediasite, the cutting-edge technology has enhanced the School of Nursing's on-campus and distance education courses. Mediasite allows nursing professors to record students' interaction with patient simulators, heightening their clinical decision-making skills, says Linda Siktberg, director of the School of Nursing.

As the students interact with SimMan or SimBaby — lifelike, high-fidelity patient simulators — the treatment scenario is recorded through portable Mediasite equipment. Once the procedures are complete, they can be immediately played back and discussed. Professors can easily pinpoint a segment of the session and show students how their actions affect patients' responses.

"Implementing this new technology enhances the level of classroom and clinical-setting instruction, which ultimately augments the School of Nursing's and Ball State's reputation as a technology leader," she said.

Using the portable Mediasite equipment has proven to be a cost-effective solution to improving student performance. Using traditional audiovisual equipment would have cost more than $200,000 for each simulator. The two portable stations and subsequent memory upgrade to run Mediasite cost less than $40,000, Siktberg added.

The Mediasite equipment can also be used to archive video clips that demonstrate various medical requirements, such as how to assess heart rates. The School of Nursing now has more than 150 simulations, lectures, skills and tutorial recordings, which can be repurposed for distance education.

Currently there are 12 undergraduate courses and four graduate courses using the technology. In the future, the goal is to have a Mediasite recorder and camera with every bed and patient simulator. The cameras would then be monitored from a central control room.